Manziel: 'I don't see myself as Johnny Football'

Nov. 26, 2012
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Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel (2) scrambles from Sam Houston State Bearkats linebacker Jeremy Jackson (37) in an Aggies win earlier this season. Manziel, who spoke to the media for the first time as a college student Monday, is a leading candidate to be the first freshman to win the Heisman Trophy. / Thomas Campbell, US Presswire

by Nicole Auerbach, USA TODAY Sports

by Nicole Auerbach, USA TODAY Sports

To the college football world, he's Johnny Football, the Texas A&M quarterback sensation who might very well become the first freshman to win the Heisman Trophy on Dec. 8 in New York.

But that's not what he thinks.

"I don't see myself as Johnny Football," Johnny Manziel said on a teleconference Monday afternoon. "I still see myself as Johnathan Manziel, a small-town guy from Kerrville, Texas, who's extremely fortunate and extremely blessed to play football here at A&M."

Manziel's hour-long teleconference marked the first time he had spoken to reporters all season. Texas A&M coach Kevin Sumlin has a policy that limits freshman media availability. Reporters on the call praised Manziel afterward, commenting on Twitter about his thoughtfulness, poise and eloquence while answering questions for the first time.

"I don't know if there's anything I've been dying to say," Manziel said of the no-media policy. "Whatever Coach Sumlin's policy was, I was going to respect that. I trust that he knows what's best for me and the whole team.

"It's kind of nice now to be able to kind of let you know how I am a little bit more since there are so many question marks out there. It's nice to be able to talk to you all."

Manziel admitted he finds the nickname Johnny Football funny and he's glad it entertains Aggies fans. He said he doesn't consider himself a celebrity and is still "kind of shocked" when he goes out to dinner and gets asked to take photos with fans, "even though it's becoming a daily thing."

That's what happens when you throw for 24 touchdowns, rush for another 19 and produce 383 yards of total offense a game. Oh, and when you lead your team to the biggest upset of the year, a 29-24 win at then-No. 1 Alabama.

Manziel was asked Monday if he considers himself the Heisman front-runner.

"I don't know if that's the case, and I feel like that situation will play itself out," he said. "Whatever is meant to be will happen. So I'm just doing whatever Coach Sumlin asks me to do in terms of lifting and getting ready for bowl practice and making sure our team stays focused and can hopefully take care of business in the bowl game.

"I think the Heisman and all the other awards like that will play itself out."

If he wins the award, Manziel said it will be a dream come true.

Though he said he has tried to stay away from all the media coverage and things written about his Heisman campaign, he admitted it's "almost impossible" not see it. Manziel said he's hoping to stay away from it as he begins final exams and bowl practices.

"There are other priorities in your life that take over reading about (yourself)," he said.

He does sometimes read things about the Aggies, though. He likes to keep up with the Southeastern Conference and calls himself a big college football fan in general. And of course, Texas A&M's 10-2 start (including 6-2 in SEC play) has a lot of people talking.

"I don't think I envisioned how big this season would be for us," Manziel said. "I don't think anyone would have envisioned that we would win 10 games at the start of the season.

"This season has been incredibly surreal. It's beyond my wildest imagination. It's a true testament to how this team has grown every week because without these guys, none of my individual success would mean anything."